I’m the household manager this week. Mrs. T. is out of town.

It will be a quiet dinner tonight. Our oldest just went to college. Our other teens are out with a friend. So, it’s just our youngest child and I at home for dinner.

Frankly, it is weird to have the house so quiet. But, it’s actually not so bad, as I’m doing a ton of household chores and thinking about what fly-fishing flies to make.

And, I’ll be cooking dinner. I’m going to try to use up some leftovers, and I think I’ll make some fried rice. There isn’t an exact recipe, but a general outline is below. But, I do think browning some ham and adding white pepper are important.

A peaceful Labor Day to all.

INGREDIENTS
Shallots or onions, minced
Scallions, chopped
Garlic, 1 clove minced
Ham, diced
Cooked rice, 2 to 3 C.
Soy sauce, 4 T.
Brown sugar, 1 T.
Salt to taste
White pepper and black pepper to taste

RECIPE
Sauté the shallots or onions, scallions and garlic for a minute. Add the ham and cook until the ham is slightly brown.

Add the rice and sauté. Once all that is combined, add the rest of the ingredients.

Here’s the tricky part. You want to keep cooking until everything is warm and the rice sizzles a bit. There’s nothing worse than “flabby” fried rice.

Also, you want the rice to be brown. Add more soy sauce if you need to. And, taste as you go along and add more soy sauce, salt and pepper for flavor.